Tuesday, December 11, 2018

OH! Christmas Tree

Your Christmas tree...white lights or colored? One tree or more than one tree? Live, real, or artificial? Argue with your husband about that last bit or everyone on the same page? Ha! I kid! Sort of.

We have not had a 'real' tree in over fifteen years, but hubs got it in his head that this would be the year of the real tree. In hindsight it should have been the year of the live tree because we need several more trees on one side of our property. Sadly that idea didn't occur to me until after the tree was already trimmed but maybe next year.

Also, hubs did not want just any real tree. He wanted a GINORMOUS! real tree. Our family room ceiling is about eighteen feet high so that sort of ginormous. And fat. No chic skinny tree would do. The tree he had in mind must be fat and it must be tall. As fat as the room can tolerate (fatter in fact) and as tall as the ceiling will allow.

Let's just say that initially I wasn't 100% on board with this plan but I came around.

We've done artificial trees the last several years because we're normally not at home for the Christmas holiday. I feel like you need to be home if you have a real tree so you can water it everyday. For the first time in a long time we're celebrating Christmas in our own house, so we went with a real tree.

And it's ginormous.

We drove up into the North Carolina Mountains to the cutest little place called Tom Sawyer's Tree Farm. I think the trip there is what changed my mind, because it all felt very festive and Hallmark Christmas movie-ish.

The people who own the farm are so nice and when hubs described what he wanted they directed us to a particular side of the hill. They said to watch for baby deer scampering about and I mean how can you not love a real tree when there are baby deer scampering about?

We did not see baby deer, but I like knowing they were there somewhere.

The tree farmers gave us a big pole painted in various colors which you could hold up next to your tree to determine it's height and then it's cost. Hubs was not sure this pole would be tall enough for what he had in mind, but it did the trick.

The tree guys came out and chopped the winning tree down, wrapped it up, and tied it to the top of the truck for the trip back down the mountain.

The plan was to set the tree in a bucket of water for a few days before bringing her in the house. I won't mention here that the tree trunk was so heavy it crushed said bucket because alls well that ends well, right?

Hubs realized pretty quickly he was going to need some manpower to get the tree in the house and fortunately our future son-in-law was coming to town for the weekend. This is why you have daughters-so they can grow up and marry boys who help you carry heavy stuff.

And we had to move all kinds of furniture and I kept asking where are all the people going to go???,
but hubs made it work and she's a beauty.

9 comments:

I bet it smells wonderful in your home right now! We haven't had a real tree for years and years and years, but I sure remember that pine smell and how you just seemed to breathe in Christmas every time you walked in the door or ventured near the tree. It is BIG and BEAUTIFUL Joyce!! Lots of memories made already!! Hugs!

My main tree is now white. I had a large 9 1/2 ft tree for many years which had colored lights. Then I went to two 6 1/2 trees which one was white the other was colored. However the colored lights today are just a little to bright for my taste. My 7 1/2 tree is white like I said and I have a small tree that has colored lights but they are good old fashioned colored bulbs. I think the real tree is a lovely idea. Wow, it is gorgeous. Enjoy.....

What a beauty and I loved how you two picked it out, carried it home and the whole story. Hubby always wants a real tree and I often think it would sure be easier, just dump it after Cmas instead of having to fit it in a bag of box. Good to hear from you.

Oh, Joyce! That is beautiful! I have artificial trees due to allergy. But I so love to go someplace where they have a real tree and just smell until my eyes run! LOLI used to do all white lights, but this year my white lights died, so went with colorful one that stay on and another set that blinks! Jack loves it. And so do I.Are the kids coming with Tommy at Christmas?

Oh my...and what a beautiful tree is it! Your trip to the NC mountains sounds like so much fun. I do love real trees but we have chosen for quite a few years now to just go with my slender artificial one...just not enough room in the house. Your hubby's idea worked out wonderfully!